Purring Howler
by BlackStarDragonEmpress
Summary: Twisted Twilight from Christophe's POV.
1. Preface

_**Preface**__**: (Christophe)**_

"I can't believe it. Forks really hasn't changed in all this time." My relatively new sister, Isabella Cullen said. That is, she isn't really my sister. Her husband, Edward Cullen, stood next to her, ginning. We were in front of Forks High School, walking to our first classes of our supposedly freshman year. We have all been through high school several times before. As vampires, we kind of have to in order to keep up the pretense that we're human.

For our act, Edward and Bella aren't married. Bella's last name is Swan and, as her twin, so is mine. All of us - Edward, Bella, Jasper, Alice, Rosalie, Emmett, and I - are the adopted children of Dr. Carlisle Cullen and Esme Cullen, Edward, Emmett, and Alice Cullen; Jasper and Rosalie Hale; and now Isabella and Christophe Swan.

I'm the newest member, though I'm older than Edward. They found me half deranged with a fever in the northern woods of Alaska. I was used for a sick experiment, then abandoned. The Cullens nursed me back to health and allowed me to join their family. As for special abilities, Jasper controls emotions, Alice can see the future, Bella can shield people, and Edward can read minds. Like Edward, I read minds, but I can also speak mind-to-mind. Now, due to that experiment, I can also sift into the form of a giant white wolf with blood red stripes and my eyes are no longer red or gold, but blue.

I'm looking forward to these coming years in Forks. Why? No idea.


	2. The New Student's First Day! Ugh!

**_Chapter 1 - The New Student's First Day! Ugh!__:_**

High school. How is this a useful way to spend my time? Even when I was human I don't think over half the stuff they try to make us learn would ever have been useful.

_Christophe._

I did not turn my head to look at my sister Alice, who had thought my name. _Yes, Alice. What is it?_

_Who is the kid that is staring at you? I do not recognize her._

Seriously? You know it's bad when _vampires_ start taking an interest in the new kids in a school this small. _*Sigh* That's the new girl, Samantha Harden. Sam. She moved here from Scarborough, ME. I don't know anything about her. She apparently hasn't spoken to anyone other than Nick Newton and I haven't tried to read her. I _do_ know that at least half of the guys in the school think that they're in love with her, just because she is something new to look at. It's pathetic._

_Hehehe. Really? Doesn't surprise me that they think that. She is rather cute. Although I have no idea what color her eyes are. She's wearing sunglasses. That _is_ weird._

I blinked. The new girl was wearing sunglasses? Alice was right. That _is _weird. First off, we're inside. Second off, why would you _own_ a pair of sunglasses in Forks? The sun is almost never out. Whatever.

_The Cullens._ I glanced in the direction of the thought. My eyes came to rest on a girl who I had seen all day in everyone's thoughts. With surprise I realized it was the girl who had walked into me this morning. I looked away quickly. Then I realized that it hadn't been the new girl that I had heard.

The thought had come from Jessy Snow. She was talking to the new girl. Sam. I laughed to myself. The new girl wasn't any different than any other human. Who wouldn't ask questions about the Cullens.

"Jessy Snow is giving the newbie all the dirt on the Cullens." I murmured to my sister Bella, who was sitting next to me.

Bella smiled slightly. _Hmm. And what does the newbie think of what she hears?_

I refocused on Jessy to listen to the conversation, find the girl and hear her reaction.

Jessy giggled. _Obviously Sam would ask about the Cullens. Who wouldn't?_ "Those are the adopted children of Dr. Carlisle and Esme Cullen. Edward, Alice, and Emmett Cullen, Rosalie and Jasper Hale, and Isabella and Christophe Swan. They're all together, too. Alice and Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie, and Edward and Isabella. It's so weird."

"They're not actually related, Jessy. Christophe is the odd man out. He doesn't have a girlfriend and he doesn't appear to want one." Mimi Rainey added. My eyebrows rose at this comment. I hadn't known that Mimi had noticed that. She wasn't interested in me. Jessy had been for a little while, but Mimi never had been.

Anyway, what did the new girl think of all of this? …what the? Silence? Did she not think anything? Or had she moved? I glanced at the table again, to double check, see if she was still there.

Sam Harden was nodding at Mimi's comment about me not wanting a girlfriend, like she understood why. _Huh?_ Confused as to why I wasn't hearing anything I focused on the thoughts coming from the table.

_She seems really friendly. I wonder why Jack said she was intimidating?_ That was Nick Newton.

_Stupid Nick. How did he get to be the first person to talk to her. _Those grumbles came from Mick Crowley, two tables over.

_She's so pretty. And strong. And kind. And independent. Wow. Just…wow._ Was that Jessy? Wow it was. Jessy admired the new girl.

_Jessy appears to like Sam. I like her too. She seems very kind and caring, though she holds herself somewhat aloof from other people. Sam will be a good friend._ That was Mimi. She appeared to be having better luck at perceiving what Sam thought then I was.

From Sam herself…there was still nothing. Suddenly Sam spoke. "What do you two have next?" So her thoughts where not hidden amongst the other mental voices because thoughts were usually the same pitch as the physical voice. I did not recognize this voice. Damn. This was annoying.

The bell indicating the end of lunch rang. The girl was on her feet before many of the students had even realized it had gone off. "I'll meet you outside, Mimi." Then she was gone, already out the door.

I rose and left the cafeteria with the rest of my siblings. After a moment I located Sam. She was leaning against a tree way off to the side. With the aid of the sun coming from behind the clouds, I could partially see her eyes. She was examining each member of my family. Finally her eyes came to rest on me. I turned to look at her. Behind the sunglasses her eyes appeared to be colorless. She looked right back at me. Her face indicated nothing, gave no hint to her thoughts.

Why couldn't I hear her? I know Edward can't hear Bella, but I can hear her. Does that mean that Sam has a stronger natural shield then Bella? Argggh. This was insanely aggravating. I didn't want to dig through her head to find her thoughts, but it was very tempting.

Suddenly, her eyes moved to the cafeteria door. Ah. Nick and Mimi had just come out. Well, I refused to become obsessed with Sam's silent mind. I would just ignore it. It wasn't like she had any classes with me. So I thought.

_Hmm. There is only one free chair in our class and it's with Christophe Swan. I wonder what she will think of sitting next to him. I wonder if they'll even talk to each other. I don't think Sam is the kind of person who will strike up a conversation. No if they talk to each other, it will be because Christophe actually starts the conversation. Which means that they will probably still have the only silent table in the class. Heehee._

What? That was Mimi wasn't it? Does she mean that Sam is in our Biology class? Fiddlesticks. So much for avoiding obsession. Especially since she would have to be my lab partner.

The two girls walked into the room. Sam watched Mimi walk to her seat. Then she walked forward. As she walked by my table, she dropped her bag into the empty chair without looking.

The blast of air from the bag thumping into the chair carried the scent to me.

**_HOLY F*#$%^& S*#!_**

I nearly swallowed my tongue. How the _devil_…was it possible for someone to smell that _good_?

My throat was on **FIRE**, the wolf in me was freaking out. I grabbed the metal bar under the table, trying to hold myself in my seat. _God_, did she smell good.

Not just good. Delicious. Mouthwatering. Exquisite. Succulent. Heavenly. Luscious. _Bloody hell!_ I didn't know any words _strong_ enough to describe the smell.

I stared at her. She was just now turning away from Mr. Jones, who had signed her slip saying she had attended class. She approached me, oblivious to the danger. If I grabbed her before she sat down, I could be out the door with her before anyone knew what was going on. In the woods it would be a simple matter of shift and shred. Heh. It was only the fact that I couldn't eat in… human-ish form…that I didn't attack her now. A giant wolf in the middle of a classroom would be kind of obvious.

Wait a minute! What the devil am I thinking! I don't want to kill her! Well, yes I did want to kill her, but that's not what I meant. I don't want to kill people. After the Cullens took me in and taught me that I didn't _have_ to kill humans, I was ecstatic. I hate killing people. Plus, since my DNA had been mutated, I didn't even like the way humans smelled, let alone tasted.

Then, why was I so ready to massacre this young lady? She was obviously human. If I don't like how humans smell…why did she smell so…disgustingly, wonderfully marvelous?

Suddenly I felt a surge of hate. How _dare_ this insignificant little human come here and _ruin _what little peace I had found through living with my new family. When she reached our table, I was glaring. She didn't notice.

Sam picked her bag up out of the chair and set it on the floor. She then reached up and pulled off her sunglasses. She opened her bright blue eyes to see my furious black glare. My eyes were indeed black. It had been two weeks since my last hunting trip.

Her eyebrows rose. Then the right eyebrow lowered, leaving the left cocked over an expression that said, 'Um…yeeeah. You're weird.' Then she rolled her eyes, dropped into her chair, crossed her legs and folded her arms across her chest. I moved my chair as far away from her as the desk allowed me to. I stopped breathing.

Mr. Jones started talking. I don't know what it was about. Sam sighed, exasperated. She leaned over to reach into her bag. Was she trying to drive me nuts? She came back up with a pencil and a book. She opened the book and, after a moment, started writing.

She wrote most of the period. Curious, I leaned back slightly to try to see what she was writing. All I saw was that it wasn't notes on Mr. Jones lecture before she readjusted the position of the book and blocked my view of the pages. Although I was still curious about her silent mind, my hate for what her scent had done to my peace of mind was much greater. It simmered all period long. I just glared at her most of the period. She didn't appear to notice.

There was a minute left. Suddenly, Sam shut her book with a decisive SNAP! She stuck the book and pencil in her bag and put the bag in her lap. Then she turned to look at me.

Sorry, let me rephrase that. She turned to match me glare for glare. What the? "Look, Christophe, I don't know what your problem is, but I doubt it gives you the right to be rude. So, roughly translated, **_stop glaring at me_**."

She spoke quietly, but fiercely. Her upper lip started to peel away from her teeth. Then she appeared to catch herself doing something. She turned away from me, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The bell rang. She was out the door before I even fully understood that she was out of her chair.


	3. Run Away

_**Chapter 2 - Run Away**__**:**_

I went straight to my car. Screw French. I was in no mood to play a charade now. The monster-wolf paced back and forth in my mind, wanting the new girls blood desperately. It snarled in frustration at my determination to avoid the girl, at my refusal to hunt her down.

I could avoid her now, but what about tomorrow? When she would sit next to me in Biology again? Would I be able to resist again? Or would I kill her? If I just avoided her altogether though, I wouldn't be tempted to kill her, right?

Okay. I would try to rearrange my schedule. I would get out of this biology class and take physics or something. Yes, that's what I would do. I'll do it right now.

All the students had been in class for about six minutes now. I got out of the car and walked quickly to the main office. Inside Miss Crane sat behind her desk. She didn't hear my entrance. I went past her to go talk to Mrs. Smith, the principle.

I knocked quietly on her door. "Mrs. Smith?"

She looked up from the document on her desk. _Oh, Christophe Swan._ "Yes, Christophe? How may I help you?"

I smiled at her, careful not to show any teeth. "I was wondering if I could switch out of my biology class. You see, I've already studied the material. Maybe I could take Physics instead?"

Her eyebrows rose. "Well, Christophe, I'm sorry to say that all of the other science courses are full. Is there something wrong in your Biology class?" _I can't imagine anything being wrong with a member of the Cullen family._

_Yeah, something's wrong. It's called I want to slaughter the newest student who happens to be my lab partner._ I couldn't tell her that though. "No, nothing is wrong. I'm just kind of bored. Perhaps I could drop the class then? Use the period for independent study?"

_He says nothing is wrong, but why would he want to switch out of Biology if nothing was wrong? He has taken classes that he has done before without complaint. Hmm. Doesn't matter anyway. None of the classes are open. _"I'm sorry, Christophe, but all the science classes and study halls are full. I'm afraid you'll have to stay in Biology."

Hmph. Well, there was a wasted effort. Oh, well. Just have to think of something else. "Alright. Thank-you, Mrs. Smith." I walked out of her office, frustrated.

I didn't 'hear' anyone other than Miss Cane in the main office, so at first I didn't notice. Then I saw her. Sam was leaning against the counter in front of Miss Cane, staring at the back wall. I quickly cut off my breathing, but it wasn't fast enough. I had already inhaled her scent. The monster-wolf roared his craving.

She turned her head and looked right at me. She blinked twice. Then her lip twitched and started to peel away from her teeth. Suddenly, she closed her eyes and clamped her teeth together. She stood like that for a moment, then she waved to Miss Cane, turned, and walked out the door.

Although she was now outside, her scent still lingered in the small room. I went out quickly. Outside something caught my eye. It was Sam. She was standing next to an old pick-up truck. After a moment she slid to the ground. She curled into a ball, trembling violently. She made no sound, though her fit lasted at least three minutes. Finally she stopped. She lay there for a moment, then she got to her feet, brushed herself off, and climbed into the cab.

She started the engine. It was very loud. The wind blew, whipping my hair around my face. Sam looked up at me. She stared for a moment, then she blushed bright red. Her expression turned from one of surprise to one torn between embarrassment and shame. She knew that I had seen her fit. Or she knew that it was possible to have seen her fit from where I was standing anyway. She threw her truck in gear and thundered out of the parking lot, her face still a brilliant scarlet.

I refused to think about the blood I had seen swirling underneath her pale skin. I went to the car and waited for my siblings, not thinking about anything. As soon as my siblings were in the car I reversed out of my spot and floored it out of there. The car was gone before anyone realized it was moving. I shot down the highway like a bullet. I dropped my siblings off at the end of the driveway. They looked at me in confusion, but I didn't pay any attention to their mental questions. I reached the hospital in three minutes. I wasn't calm enough to be able to play the part of a human. I reached out to Carlisle.

_Carlisle, I'm leaving._

_Why? Is something wrong? Did something happen?_

I had no words to properly describe my feelings, so I simply let them flow through the link so he could feel them.

I felt Carlisle's shock. It quickly shifted to resignation. _I suppose leaving would be the wisest decision to make if it leaves the girl alive. Do you need us to come with you?_

_No. I need time alone for now. Tell Esme I'm sorry. Goodbye Carlisle._ With those parting thoughts I fled Forks, Washington.


	4. Let's Try That Again

_**Chapter 3 - Let's Try That Again.**__**:**_

_Hello Christophe. Will you not come join us?_ Kate asked as she approached. I turned my head to look up at her from my position laying in the snow.

"No thank-you, Kate." I looked back up at the sky, attempting to see the stars through the image of Sam that appeared to be burned into my brain. Deep, opalescent eyes looked at me. Blue eyes so deep I could drown in them. Eyes flashing with humor, passion, and secrets.

Kate sat down beside me for a while, not saying anything. _Pretty girl got your tongue?_

I looked sharply at her. _What do you mean?_

She chuckled. _I mean you look like a teenager dreaming about a girl you think is out of your league. So? Has some pretty girl dazzled you mind and blinded your senses?_

That was putting it mildly. "Kind of I suppose. There's a new girl in school and her scent was …" I trailed off, not knowing how to describe something that was nearly impossible for the mind to comprehend.

Kate's eyebrows rose. She nodded, indicating that she understood what I meant. _Edward experienced a similar problem with Bella, did he not?_

_Yes he did._ However, being able to read minds, I knew just how intense Bella's scent had been for Edward. Maybe I'm being prejudiced, but I think Sam's is even worse. I didn't let Kate know that though.

Seven days. Seven days and I still couldn't get her out of my head. Not her scent, not her face. There is something wrong with this picture, though I can't quite figure out what. Maybe the fact that I'm becoming obsessive over a human. Or maybe it was just the fact that it was my life that was getting fucked over once again. Something is out to get me, that's for damn sure.

Kate reached over and started playing with my hair. _You have such lovely hair, dearest. I'm curious…why did you run? It's not like you._

She was right. It wasn't like me. I didn't _want_ to run away, yet it seemed like the best choice at the time. Hell, it still seemed like the best choice…and yet…I missed my family. Plus the fact that I was running from a human kind of pissed me off. Emmett was probably laughing his ass off. _…I don't know, Kate, I don't know._

Kate chuckled and stood up. I looked up at her. "Well, Christophe, here is some advice. If you want to move forward in life, you must face your problems head on. You're tough, Christophe. You'd never let some humans scent overpower you, no matter how good they smelt. You'll be fine."

I stared at her. She was right…but that didn't sound like Kate. I narrowed my eyes. "Okay, who put you up to this."

She giggled. _Bella, believe it or not. She's really worried about you Christophe and wants you to come home._

Bella. Of course. There was no better sister. She was always looking out for me, making sure I was okay, worrying when I went hunting on my own. I felt somewhat ashamed for what I had put her through by taking off with no explanation. What I had put them all through. It was time to go home.

Kate looked down at me. Then she smiled. Before I could say anything she said, "I'll tell the others that you said goodbye. Have a safe trip home Christophe." With that she turned and darted away into the forest.

"Everything…should…be okay." Alice said as we walked to the lunch room.

I resisted the urge to snarl. "Of course it will be." I was strung tighter than a bow. If I hadn't thought I could handle the problem I would have stayed home, or better yet in Alaska.

Bella patted my arm, attempting to soothe me. "Relax Christophe. Her seeing you so tense won't help much." She was right. I forced my muscles to loosen as I took my seat.

_I'm really glad that Sam is in my math class. I'd be so lost without her help._ That was Jessy. She and Sam were about to enter the lunch room. I stopped breathing.

"…does that make more sense, Jessy?" Sam asked as she walked into the room.

"Totally. Thank you so much, Sam."

Sam smiled. "No problem. Glad I could help." She looked away from Jessy then. Her smile vanished and she stopped moving for a moment, staring at something.

Worried Jessy tapped her arm and looked in the direction Sam was looking. "Sam? Are you okay?" _I don't understand. What is she looking at that has her so frazzled? It can't be the Cullens…can it?_

I glanced over at her then. She jerked slightly and then shook her head. Looking down at Jessy, she smiled though it looked forced. "Sorry, what did you say? I was spacing." I looked back towards Alice, sitting diagonally across from me. She giggled.

"Christophe, you look like you're going to be sick." I rearranged my expression so it appeared calm. _Isn't she going to get something to eat?_ I refocused on Jessy. Sam was just getting a soda. "Don't you want something to eat, Sam?"

Sam glanced at her and smiled for a moment. "No, I'm not really up to eating anything right now, Jessy." She turned and walked to the table. _Oh my, is she sick? I hope she isn't sick. That would be awful._

Sick? Was it not good for humans to skip eating? Was that an indication of illness? I had never paid a lot of attention to how humans ate before. Wait a minute, why did I care? Nggh. I sounded like that irritating Mick, who was now walking up to her and standing way to close, trying to check her temperature.

Sam caught his wrist before his hand touched her forehead. The look she gave said 'What do you think you're doing?' She pushed his arm away and said, "Try asking before invading someone's personal space Mick. Now I would appreciate it if you would vacate mine." Mick blushed and quickly sat down.

"Ed, why are you opening that water bottle? You plan on drinking it?" Alice's voice attracted my attention back to our table.

"Maybe." Edward said. He was looking at me. I could read his plan. Suddenly, jerked his hand, causing half of the bottles contents to hit Emmett square in the face. While Emmett blinked in surprise, Edward jerked his hand again, emptying the rest of the bottle in Jaspers face.

The two sputtered, shocked and confused. Then Emmett and Jasper exchanged a devious look. Leaning over the table, the two started shaking their heads, splattering water all over the rest of us. Rosalie and Alice ducked behind their trays. The rest of us just laughed. I could see how Edward and Alice had planned this moment so that we looked some-what normal, like a family.

_Sam's staring at the Cullen's again._ Jessy's thought alerted me. I immediately swung my head around to look at her. She continued to stare at me though I was looking right at her. What was she thinking? Grrr. Determined to find out, I focused my mind solely on her. There. I could feel it. Her shield. Instinctively I stabbed it. To my shock, nothing happened.

Bella's shield had parted slightly, allowing me access before resealing. After a while, we managed to create a path between our minds that we could send messages thorough. However, if I wanted to know what she was actually thinking I still had to attack her shield.

My attack had absolutely no effect at all on Sam's shield. For that matter it felt like I had hit vampire flesh. This was so frustrating! Then I wondered why the hell I was attacking her shield in the first place. I had first broken through Bella's when I had been delirious with fever, looking for anything to distract me from the pain. Now I had no reason, no excuse, other than my damnable curiosity. Oh well. Already done with no consequences, might as well forget about it.

Sam was still staring at me. Unexpectedly, her right eyebrow rose and she smirked. What was that look for? Nggh. Her lack of noise was so annoying. Jessy asked her a question then and Sam turned away from me to answer her.

I stared at her for the rest of the lunch period, mostly listening to Mimi and Jessy because they perceived more about Sam' s thoughts then I did.

When the bell rang Sam actually moved so fast that I didn't see her move at all. One second she was there, the next she wasn't. Unlike a human I can't say I blinked, because I hadn't. I caught sight of her as she slipped out the door.

My family sat with me, waiting to see what I would do. "I…I _think_ you can make it through the period…" Alice said.

"Seriously, Christophe, just skip the period. I don't want move again already." Rosalie said.

I wanted to go though. I couldn't read her thoughts, but she appeared to have an impulsivity issue, just spitting out the first thing that came to mind. Perhaps I could learn her thoughts that way.

"No, I…he should be okay, Rosalie. It's…firming up. I'm 96% sure that he can make it through the period." Alice said.

Bella made a face. "Well, I may not be able to see the future or read minds, but I'm 110% sure that Christophe can make through the period." she said, smiling up at me and rubbing my arm.

Bella's confidence decided me. I could never let Bella down. "Go to class. I'll be fine." With that I turned and strode to Biology.

I took one last breath before entering the room and moving to my seat. Sam was reading a book. I gently scraped my chair to alert her to my presence, still sitting as far away as possible. No response.

Well…maybe if I said something. "Good afternoon. My name is Christophe Swan. You are Sam Harden, yes?" She picked up her bookmark, placed it in the book, and put the book in her bag. _Tinker_ by Wen Spencer. Not something I had read. I would have to check it out. I wanted to know what stories were in her head.

Sam looked at me then. "Yes, I am Sam." She looked me square in the eye, something I hadn't experienced with other humans. I then got a rather rude awakening as to why humans not meeting my gaze was a good thing. "Your eyes are a lovely sapphire blue. The obsidian of last week was gorgeous as well, but I believe I prefer this color."

Umm…kind of hard to ignore a statement like that. If the others found out, they would probably kill me. I didn't know what to say, but she seemed to expect a response of some kind. "Thank-you, I think." Did I really just say that? I wanted to hit myself in head. How stupid was that? Dumbass.

She reclaimed my attention within three seconds. "I'm going to ask you a question, Christophe." Question? What kind of question? "If it makes you uncomfortable, feel free to not answer. Okay?" That did not give me good feelings, but she said I didn't have to answer. What the hell, why not?

"Alright."

"Two questions actually. First, where did you go?"

Easy. "Out of town. Personal matters."

"Okay. Second is more odd." That didn't sound good. "Did you leave…because of me?"

I could feel what little color my face held drain away. How in hell had she come to that conclusion? Others humans might have considered it, but almost immediately dismissed it. She not only came up with _and_ held on to, but also worked up the nerve to _ask_ it.

Sam wasn't actually looking directly at me, so I guess she saw me in her peripheral vision. "Due to the look on your face, I'll take that as a yes. I won't bother asking why because, obviously, I won't get an answer." Damn she was good. Which was bad for me.

Mr. Jones started talking, though I couldn't say what it was about. I was still in shock. Sam rolled her eyes looking exasperated. She pulled out the notebook from last week and started writing again. She was holding it at a funny angle, so I couldn't see what it was she was writing without seeming rude. I was start to get the impression that she was intentionally making me crazy.

Proof? Just as I thought to try taking a breath she lifted her hand and twisted it quickly. It caused her wrist to crack several times, but it also sent a rather dense cloud of her scent straight into my mouth. I clamped my hand down on my knee, fighting to think straight, attempting to ignore the roar of the monster.

At the end of the period she pulled the same stunt she had pulled in the lunchroom. Now you see her, now you don't. I caught a glimpse of her slipping out the door. I, myself, went straight to my car, too agitated to be able to sit through French. I put on a disk of Tran-Siberian Orchestra. It may be Christmas music, but it was good stuff, drowning out the sounds of people buzzing in my head, distracting me from the idea of spying on her.

Towards the end of the period I heard it. Her voice. "That was really dumb, Mick." She was walking out of the gym, Mick Crowley in her arms. The look on her face said that she didn't really want him there. "Didn't your mother every teach you not to jump in front of fast moving objects?" Mick was dazed, so I couldn't get any information from him. The other students in her class were focused on Ms. King, showing them what they would be doing next class. Oh, well.

I got out of my car and leaned against the hood, though I couldn't tell you why. Maybe I hoped she would come talk to me. I took a deep breath just in case. Sam was walking back out of the office where she had just deposited Mick. She stopped and stared at me. She appeared to be arguing with herself. She looked away, then back to me. Finally, she shook her head slightly and started to walk back to the gym. I let out my breath in disappointment.

Then, at the door to the gym, she paused and looked back at me again. She appeared to be conflicted. After a moment the confusion was replaced by resolve. She nodded slightly to herself and turned to walk into the gym. Damn! What I wouldn't give to know what she was thinking.


	5. Let's Start the Relationship with a BANG

**_Chapter 4 - Let's Start the Relationship with a BANG!__:_**

_Christophe._ I was in the clearing, staring at nothing in particular, when Esme called me. I turned my head to look at her.

_What's up?_ She came and sat next to me on the cliff edge.

_How are you feeling, dear?_

_Confused. Frustrated._ I started laughing. "She's driving me crazy and she doesn't even know."

"What's the problem?"

"Mainly that I can't hear her. The way she acts, what she says, it doesn't make any sense. She's not like any other human I've ever met. Her thought process appears to be erratic and she seems to be impulsive, just spitting out the first thing that comes to mind. If I could just hear her thoughts I might be able to get somewhere, but I can't and it's making me insane! It's pathetic really."

"Have you tried talking to Edward? He has the same problem with Bella, you know and he had to learn how to cope. Maybe he can help you."

"Maybe. You know…I'm starting to think that she isn't actually human. She's too fast, too strong, too observant…it just doesn't seem realistic. She noticed my eyes, she even asked me if I left for a week because of her! How many humans would have come to that conclusion!" I fell back to lay on the grass. "I just don't understand her, and yet…"

"Yet…" Esme prompted when I didn't continue.

"Yet she fascinates me. It's kind of scary. Everything about her draws my attention. Her silent mind, her odd quirks, not to mention her scent. I'm…stuck. I'm finding it hard to think about anything else. Pretty certain that's not a good thing, for her or for me." I put my hands over my eyes. Could vampires _or_ werewolves get headaches? It definitely seemed like I should have one.

_If it is such a bad thing, Christophe, why do you stay? Understand that I do want you here with us, but I do not want our stay to cost a life. We can all leave if necessary._

I didn't know why I stayed. Something in me protested leaving. _I don't know if I can leave…_

Esme was silent for a moment then said, "The final decision shall be left to you for now." With that, she left me to my thoughts.

The next morning, I stayed in the car for a few minutes, trying to calm my nerves. I heard a car pull into the spot to my right. It was a thought that made my head turn though.

_Sam is scared to ask about a car. Okay…hehehe. I have lived with this girl for five years now and I _still_ don't understand how her mind works. Heheh. I suppose I never will._

The voice was a deep baritone, not one I had ever heard before. I whipped my head to the right. The car that had pulled in next to me was a dark blue mustang GT. Sam was in the drivers seat. She was looking at the passengers seat, but I didn't see anyone there. ? So…where had the thoughts come from?

Sam turned her head and noticed my car. Her eyes widened and she quickly turned away, leaning into the back to get her bag. She opened the door and just sat there for a minute, staring at the ground. She then stood up and shut her door. She must have sensed my stare because she refused to look up. She hurried to class. As she walked away, I noticed that there was something gray on her back. Did she have two bags?

I forced myself to concentrate on my classes. It was boring as hell since I knew most of the material better than the teachers, but it was either that or spy on her. And spying on her wasn't a good choice, no matter how tempting it was.

At lunch, I stared at the wall. I was, however, focused on her. She hadn't looked at our table at all, which wasn't usual. I got the impression that she was deliberately avoiding looking at our table. A little while after she sat down though, she glanced at our table.

She turned her head to look right at us. Through Mimi's eyes I could see that her lips were moving, but I couldn't understand what she was saying. Her lips weren't actually forming any words and the only sounds I could hear sounded something like animal noises. Maybe I was just losing my mind.

_So the one on the end is the Christophe she keeps mentioning. Hmph. Looks funny to me, but then again…all two-leggers look funny to me._ HUH?

I turned to look straight at her. My confusion had to be obvious, but…_two-legger_? Who, or rather _what_ would use the term two-legger? What was just as weird was the fact that the thought came from exactly where she was sitting, but it obviously wasn't her.

Sam looked down at the table, a slight blush on her checks, and ran her hand through the hair on the back of her head. She didn't look at our table again for the rest of the period.

She was the first one out of the lunch room, like always. Maybe I should start calling her Houdini, since she keeps pulling disappearing acts. Wanting to talk to her, I headed to the biology room at a reasonable…human pace.

When I walked into the room, she was the only one in there. She was doing…something. She shifted slightly when she heard me. I let the chair scrape some to let her know I was next to her.

"Hello, again." I said, hoping that she would answer. Given her earlier behavior, I wasn't sure if she would.

She looked at me and smiled slightly. "Hello, Christophe." I liked the way she said my name. I scrambled for a second, having lost my train of thought. I went with the first thing that came to mind.

"May I ask what was going on yesterday, during 7th period?"

She grinned broadly. "I was frustrated." Why? I wanted to ask. "I spiked the volleyball too hard." I think I could see where this was going. "Mick got in the way, trying to show off. Ball hit him square in the face." Ooo, ouch. "I heard a snap and I was scared I broke his neck. His neck just cracked and he had a _really_ bad head and neck ache as a result." She shook her head and chuckled darkly. "I will probably never understand what possesses men to make them do stupid things to try and impress girls. When they get hurt being dumb, it's not impressive, it's pathetic." The way she said it…sounded like she had said it before…numerous times.

"I get the impression you think all guys are like that." And she would be right, well…mostly right.

"Not _all_ guys, but about 85%, yes." Hmm. I wonder if I would fall in with 15% _not_ like that. Of course, not knowing her full definition I couldn't tell.

Mr. Jones stated that we would be doing the onion root lab today. Oh, joy. The boring lab. I thought.

Sam picked up one of the slides and stared at it for a moment. She grinned and handed it to me saying, "Bet you this one is Interphase." I raised my eyebrows, but placed the slide in the microscope, adjusted it to 40x, and looked. I looked back up at her, stunned.

I had to ask. "How did you do that?" She reached over and removed the slide from the microscope. She pointed to a small piece of the root.

"This little piece changes with each stage. Few people know this. By just looking at this one piece, you can tell the difference." She showed me the differences with each one, letting me double check with the microscope. It was interesting, but the way she moved her hands as she explained it was fascinating.

Suddenly, I heard a soft rumbling sound, like an animal. Sam jumped and turned her head to the left. She wasn't looking at the room though. Then I heard, "He does not. Now shut your mouth. Brat." It was soft enough that a human might not have noticed. Mind you, that's a might.

She looked back at me. "Who are you talking to?"

A faint blush lit her checks. "Oh! Um…No one?" I just looked at her. "Fudge. *Sigh* I'm talking to Silver. He's a badger." A badger? Was she serious? "You can meet him after school if you'd like." I was honestly trying not to laugh. Talking to a badger? Was it just me or did that sound wrong? She shrugged and started talking about the lab again.

I thought about it though and realized that it kind of made sense. The thoughts I had heard this morning at the cars and later in the lunch room…were they really from an animal? Well, only one way to find out.

Just before the bell rang, I lightly touched her arm. I swear her arm was definitely hotter than 98.6°. The heat shot up my arm and I swallowed against the odd, yet pleasant sensation. "I would like to meet 'Silver.'" I told her. She stared at me. The bell rang. I expected her to vanish, but to my surprise, she kept looking at me for a moment, then she stood and walked out of the room at a rather human pace.

I walked outside just in time to see her slip into the clearing in the center of the stand of oak trees. As I approached I heard her.

"What do you think of Christophe?" I was surprised. Why would she ask that question? I heard a snort followed by the deep pitched thoughts. They were easy to find, now that I was looking for them.

_That was random. Why ask that? "He is a fine young man. Why do you ask?"_

I peeked around the trunk. She was sitting on the ground, facing away from me. She shrugged. "No reason in particular." Why did I want to say that was a load of bull?

"_You didn't ask to look at his car."_ Huh? My car?

Sam ducked her head. Then she laughed. There was no humor in this laugh. "I thought if you were with me I would be able to work up the nerve to ask. Ha! Who am I kidding? I can't ask him. I'm too scared of being rejected. Ha! Haha! Hahahaha! I'm pathetic really. My fear isn't even rational. I'm just stupidly pathetic. I can't even ask Christophe if I can look under the hood of his car. Ha!"

I frowned. So she was nervous about asking me a question? How did that make her pathetic? Well, if she wanted to look under the hood of my car…that could be arranged. I spied a twig on the ground. I stepped on it and it snapped.

She sprang up and spun around, stopping in a defensive crouch. I found it somewhat amusing. Did she even realize that when she did things like that she didn't look anything like a human? After a moment she straightened up, her face wary. She was probably wondering how I had know she was here.

I didn't want to just let her look under the hood without getting something out of her. Ooo! I would do that! I grinned, liking my idea. The wary look on her face evaporated, replaced by one of confusion. She blinked and cocked her head slightly.

"So, you want to look under the hood of my Porsche Carrea, do you? Well I believe we can arrange that. On two conditions."

For a second she just stared at me. She opened her mouth and no sound came out. She swallowed and tried again. "What conditions?"

"1st, I still want to meet 'Silver.'" That was perfectly reasonable, right? "2nd, you answer some questions I have." I was cautious with this question, because as far as I could tell, she hadn't told anyone anything about herself since she had moved to Forks.

To my amusement, and joy, she agreed. I also got a bonus. Some of her control slipped. She was bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet, her hands pressed together, her eyes shinning with excitement. She looked like a little girl getting a new puppy. It was…cute. "Alright, then. After 7th period we'll meet at our cars. You introduce me to Silver, then I'll ask you my questions as you examine the car, okay?" She nodded with enthusiasm. I smiled. "See you after class." I turned and headed towards my French class.

I couldn't stop thinking about the excited look on her face. I was thrilled that I was the one who had made her look like that. I wanted to see it more often. It was kind of weird how my whole universe now seemed to be centered around this human that I had actually run away from the first time I met her. Now, I waited anxiously for the bell to ring.

The French room was right next to the cars so I beat her to them without looking inhuman. I leaned against the front of the Porsche, knowing she would show up within seconds. And she did not disappoint. She dumped her bag on the ground and set something gray on the hood of the GT. I realized that what I had thought was a bag this morning, had actually been the badger. He had been clinging to her back all day.

"This is Quicksilver, or Silver for short. He's my best friend." The love for her badger was obvious in her voice. It made me smile. I stepped forward and offered my hand for the badger to sniff, palm up. Silver sniffed at my hand.

_Hmph. Smells like a vamp. _WHAT? I nearly panicked. _But he also smells like wolf. Odd combo. Well…he hasn't tried to eat her, so…guess he's okay. _He nudged my hand then. _Now pet me. I can't reach the spot behind my ear that itches._

Thank-you lord. I laughed quietly, both in amusement and relief. As I scratched the spot behind his ear, I thought about what he had said. How did he know what a vampire was? That did not imply good things.

Sam was staring at me. That's right. I stopped scratching Silver and looked at her. "Well, let's pop the hood, shall we?" I went to the drivers side, opened the door, and pulled the switch that caused the top to pop. She lifted the hood and locked it open. As I came up beside her, I could read the absolute fascination on her face. She lightly ran her fingers over the various wires and components. I cleared my throat in hopes of getting her attention.

She didn't look up at me, but said, "You can ask your questions, Christophe. I'm listening." I guess that was the best I was going to get.

"Okay. Why did you move to Forks?"

"Oh, that's easy. Mom got re-married." Ouch. "Jaden Silvertree is ten years younger than Mom, but he's really mature and well-mannered. He's a professional duelist, so he travels a lot. Mom was going to stay with me, but her life has pretty much revolved around me for too long. I told her that she was going to travel with Jaden, cheer him on, and I would come spend some time with Dad. She didn't like it at first, though she did want to go with Jaden. I wasn't giving her a choice though and I can be as stubborn as a mule when I want to be. So…here I am." Interesting, but…

"Why didn't you just go with your mother and Jaden?"

"Cause dueling bores me. Plus, I don't like moving every two weeks." Good reasoning.

"Where are they now?" Why did I ask that?

"Germany, I believe."

"How old are you?" She acted older than our peers.

"16. I turn 17 February 22." Younger…wouldn't have guessed that.

"Why are you so fascinated by my car?" Maybe this could clue me in to how her mind worked.

"I don't really know." That was helpful. "Cars in general fascinate me. I've never seen the inside of a Porsche Carrea before though." She frowned then.

"Is something wrong?" She had seemed so happy a moment ago. She looked up at me.

"Do you hear that?"

I didn't hear anything, including our fellow students. I had been too focused on her. That wasn't good. "Hear what?"

Her eyes started wondering, looking for something. "That ticking." Ticking? I frowned, paying attention to our surroundings now. There. "I do now." She thought of something then. She bent over and looked under my car. The look on her face when she came back up scared me.

She face was dead white. "Oh my." She sounded shocked, but not. Like there was no force behind her voice. She was making me nervous.

"Sam?" She didn't answer. "Sam, what's wrong?" Still no response. I was tempted to grab and shake her. "Sam!"

In a completely deadpan voice she said, "Silver? Drag your claws across the hood and windshield please." Huh? I looked over at the badger. He placed his forepaws at the top of the windshield, his hindpaws at the top of the hood. He then pulled his forepaws down and pushed his hindpaws back, letting his claws drag across the surfaces.

The resulting noise nearly split my eardrums into ten million pieces. The humans all ran away from the god-awful sound, their hands clapped over their ears. Sam didn't even blink.

"Why did you just have him do that?" My head was still ringing. So at first I thought I heard her wrong.

"There is a bomb under your car."

Was she joking? Cause it wasn't funny. Something told me that she wasn't joking. OH. SHIT.

I grabbed a hold of the back of her jacket and sprinted away from the vehicles. Then I heard a bark. Shit. I left the badger. For some stupid reason, I wasn't ready for Sam's reaction.

"_NO!_" Her scream split the air and suddenly the pressure on my hand was gone. Whipping my head around, I saw that all I was holding was her jacket. She was running back towards the cars.

_NO, SAM!_ I have no idea if I said it out loud or not, but I saw my siblings flinch as my thought hammered their minds. She didn't stop.

She snatched the damn badger off the car. Something launched. Her bag. She must have kicked it. Instead of turning around like most humans would have done, she kept running straight ahead. I heard the _CHICK! _No, she was still to close! She kept running.

_**BOOM!**_

Once the initial blast colors faded, I could see her. The blast tossed her like a rag doll, incinerating the back of her shirt. She flipped and landed heavily on her back. I felt myself go numb at the sight of her head rebounding from bashing against the sidewalk. A gasp from Alice caught my attention. I looked into her head just in time to see the center of my universe get crushed by the now descending, flaming, two ton vehicle.

Sam sat up, blinking and looked straight at me. She then looked confused and looked up. She didn't move. I hadn't pulled all the way out of Alice's head, so I noticed the vision shifting, but I didn't stay to watch.

I launched myself forward, covering half the distance between us in a fraction of a second. Another fraction and I was on her. My own momentum prevented me from being as gentle as I should be, but I was more worried about getting her out of the way first. I wrapped my arms around her, securing her to me. I stopped well outside the path of fireball. Due to the low trajectory, I had ended up sitting down. That ended up being a good thing.

The car hit the ground and, defying all laws of nature, _bounced_. Not just bounced, but bounced towards us. I swore, something I had never done in front of a lady before. Once the damnable object was in range, I kicked out with my left foot. The blow caused a major dent and sent it back a good 30ft. This time, when the car hit the ground, the damn thing stayed there.

One. Two. Screaming galore. I can hear Sam's name being screamed. I know I should have been worried about what I had just done, how by saving Sam, I risked exposing our family. Rosalie was going murder me.

Yet I couldn't bring myself to care. I too scared that Sam, who hadn't even attempted to move, could have been seriously hurt at any time since the bomb had gone off. Terrified of what I would do if I breathed with my nose almost buried in her hair.

"Sam? Sam, are you alright?" Hell, even I could hear the panic in my voice. Emmett would have a field day if he found out I was panicking over a humans health. To my relief I got an immediate response.

"You bet. Well…my back stings and I am guaranteed to have a monster headache later, but other than that I'm fine." She sighed. "I just finished that GT, too." I blinked. "Oh, well. Maybe I'll be able to fix it. I should fix you family's Volvo too, if I can. I can build you a new Porsche Carrea, but it will take me about two months."

Was she serious? Was she insane? Other humans would be freaking out and she's talking about the cars. I don't get it. She pulled against my hold then. I didn't want to let go, but after a moment I did. She sprang out of my lap and spun around. I shifted away from her as well, putting distance between me and that smell. It was then that I saw the badger tucked into her body. It lifted its head and looked at me. I resisted the urge to glare at it…him.

She was staring at me. I think she was waiting for me to say something, but what was there to say? After a moment or two, she stopped waiting.

"Okay then. Considering the amount of air pressure and the intensity of the heat, as well as the positions of the cars, I'm going to guess that my GT is probably shot. The Volvo on the other hand should be fairly decent. Yeah, I should be able to fix the Volvo."

I stared at her. Was she kidding? "What?"

She blinked. "What what?"

What did she mean 'what what'? "What are you talking about?"

Her eyebrows knitted together. "What planet are you on? I'm talking about the cars, what else?"

I couldn't believe it. Was this girl human? I was seriously starting to doubt it. I couldn't even spit out a whole sentence, I was so stunned. "You…You're-talking about-fixing cars-after you-were nearly-crushed?"

She cocked her left eyebrow. "Would you prefer I had hysterics? They won't get me anywhere. I'm assuming that you're not going to tell me how you got over here so fast." Shit. I opened my mouth to protest, but she lifted her hand to stop my words. "Ah. Don't try to deny it. You were on the other side of the parking lot. You're also probably not going to tell me how you can stop a two ton flaming vehicle by kicking it without breaking or burning your leg." She didn't even wait for me to open my mouth. "Again, don't try to deny it. I'm not that dumb." Who said she was dumb? Sure as hell wasn't me. "Since you obviously aren't going to elaborate upon either matter and I'm not going to have a fit of hysteria, what else is there to talk about?" She had me there.

"Not much."

"Exactly. Now, returning to the subject of the cars, my GT will most likely be going to the junkyard. All of its damage will be on the left side. The wiring will be fried, the breaking system shot, the steering system melted, and the engine probably dead. No, the only way to get my GT back is to build it from scratch again." That had to suck. She had just finished that car this past weekend. It was a nice car too.

"As for the Volvo, its damage would be on the right side. All I would have to do is rebuild the right side of the frame, replace the seats, replace the front and rear windshields, I can get body parts from Matthew, do a quick tune up to repair all internal damage, and then it would be good as new. Pfft. Easy." It didn't sound easy.

"Finally, the Porsche Carrea. Because I saw the inside before the bomb went off I can rebuild it. The engine and the body parts will take the most time. Matthew lives in Italy, but getting parts from him is well worth the wait. The engine…I can build it, but it will take a month at least. The rest is easy, I can do that in a month. So the Porsche Carrea would take me about two months to build. Of course there is no charge to you. Basically you should have both vehicles back within two to three months." She gave me a brilliant smile.

I give. I can't follow her thought process at all. Maybe if I admitted it…? "I am…confused."

She looked confused. "Why? Did I use to many odd terms? Well, roughly translated, I'm fixing your Volvo and building you a new Porsche Carrea for free." That dazzling smile showed again. She was going to blind me with that thing.

"Why? Why would you do that?" I couldn't understand it, not even a little bit.

Her smile vanished and she blinked. "I am going to do it because I want to. Not to mention the fact that I'd be dead right now if you hadn't pulled your Superman stunt." Superman stunt? That was a new phrase. "By the way, you're gonna catch flies if you leave your mouth hanging open like that."

I hadn't even realized that my jaw had dropped. I closed my mouth and tried to decipher her reasoning. I wanted to slap myself, really. She practically spelled her reasons out for me and I _still_ couldn't get it. Was I really that slow?

The siren that had been approaching was now close enough for her to hear it. She sighed. Silver climbed out of her arms and around to her back. There, he reared up on his hind legs and grasped her shoulders. With a slight grunt, he lifted himself up so that he could grasp her hips with his hind paws. He nosed aside her hair and rested his head on her shoulder. He rumbled softly. _Let us go tell the world we are alive, yes?_

She laughed. "Yes! Yes, let us go proclaim the good tidings! Haha!" She stood. I was still contemplating the fact that I could hear the thoughts of an animal. "You need a hand?"

I looked up at her. She had her hand partially extended towards me, an offer to help. Tempting, but touching her was probably a bad idea. I shook my head and stood. Without thinking, I stepped closer. Her body heat crashed into me like a tidal wave. She tilted her head back to look up at my face. She had a warm, pleasant look on her face. I grinned in return. It was impossible not to.

"How tall are you, Christophe?" Huh? Odd question.

"6 foot 5. Why?"

"Ah. So you aren't _quite_ as tall as I thought. Still very tall though." It appeared I wasn't going to get an answer as to why she asked. "Anyway, shall we go great the good people?" She spoke in such old terms sometimes. I noticed her hand as she lifted it to scratch the base of her neck. She smiled. I couldn't help but smile in return. In response, I nodded.

I walked on the inside, closest to the burning pile of metal, gently, subtly, guiding her into giving it a wide berth. For all I knew, if I let her get to close, the fire might try to spit at her. At first no one noticed us approaching. That didn't last long however. Jessy quickly picked us out, quickly followed by Mimi. The instant they spotted us, Sam tensed. I couldn't read her mind, but I could guess. She didn't want the students to mob her. I didn't blame her. Bella, Alice, Edward, and Emmett were still surprised that I had reacted the way I had. Jasper wasn't happy at all and Rosalie was livid. I was gonna get it when I got home. Since I was already in trouble, I saw no reason to subtly discourage the students from getting closer.

"Oh my God! Sam! You're alive!" Jessy's thoughts were mostly incoherent with gratitude. Mimi was quiter and thinking more clearly. _Oh she's safe! Thank goodness! I don't think even Sam could have survived getting crushed by a flaming vehicle. When did Christophe get over there though? Never mind, I don't care. I'm just glad that he was able to save Sam._ Mimi had noticed more than any other student, but she didn't appear to care about what I could be simply because she was grateful that I had gotten Sam out of the way in time.

The students kept their distance, intimidated by my expression, though they couldn't pinpoint what it was that bothered them. Sam's father on the other hand, was another matter entirely.

"Sam! Are you okay?" He rushed forward wanting to make sure she was alright. He caught her in a tight hug. Tight enough that Silver decided to protest. He barked. _Hey! Watch how tight you squeeze, Ric! Jeez, you're as bad as your daughter._

"Oh! Sorry boy." He attention immediately shifted back to Sam. "Are you alright, Sam?" He was worried, but not as worried as I would have thought under the circumstances.

I stood close by, wanting to make sure that she got into the ambulance. I was anxious to get her to Carlisle.

"Yes, Dad. I'm fine. Just make everyone happy though, I'll go to the hospital and get a check up, 'kay?" That made me feel a little better. Knowing that she didn't like to be hovered over, I wasn't sure if she would go willingly.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Richard's worry had dropped to almost nothing once she assured him that she was okay. I was missing something…what was it? Then it hit me. His words. They weren't there. At least…not really. If I focused, I could hear them, but they were mostly fuzzy. His emotions were easier to read then his thoughts. _She knows herself best and she wouldn't lie to me about something like this. She doesn't like me hovering over her, but she knows better than to tell me she' s okay when she's not. Still, it is a good idea for her to go to the hospital, have them do a double check._

"No, Dad. I'll be fine. Christophe and Silver will be with me, right?" I was surprised to say the least. I had every intention of going with her anyway, but I hadn't expected her to _want_ me to go with her. She blinked and turned to look at me. Though her face was smooth, her eyes held a question. Would I go? And underneath that, so deep that at first I didn't notice, was a glimmer of…pleading. My breathing sped up, but I refused to think about what that glimmer meant. I simply nodded, not trusting my voice.

Ric, satisfied that she would be okay, released her and planted a kiss on her forehead. He turned to speak to the fire chief about evacuating the parking lot as they got the fire put out.

Sam started to turn away, but then she turned back and poked her father in the arm. He looked at her, curious. "Scrap my GT, but bring the Volvo to my workshop, 'kay?" _Scrap her GT? Didn't she just finish it? Oh, wait…it must have been the unrecognizable pile of metal mush I saw. Guess that's why we're scraping it. The Volvo must be the other, less damaged car, but why does she want it? Oh well. She knows more about cars than I do, and what she does in that workshop out back isn't my business. Scrap GT and Volvo in workshop. Got it._ He nodded and turned back to the fire chief.

Sam turned away and strode to the ambulance. Before I could offer to help her, she placed her right foot on the bumper, grabbed the door with her right hand and hauled herself up. As she went up, something flapping caught my eye, pulling it down.

It was her left pant leg. Or rather what was left of it. The back of her lower leg was exposed and what I saw horrified me. I inhaled sharply, a response to what I saw, but a good idea anyway considering that I was getting into a confined space with her.

I climbed in after her and the workers shut the door. She was looking at me when I turned to her. "What happened to your leg?" I sounded demanding, which I had no right to be.

She frowned and looked down at her legs. She looked back up at me. "What are you talking about?"

Of course she hadn't seen anything, she only looked at the front. Could she honestly not feel it though? I pointed at her left leg. "On the back."

She leaned on her right leg and twisted her left around, so she could look at it. "Oh." she said. Yeah, OH. The back of her leg was, quite literally, warped and twisted. The skin was cracked as well. "The heat must have warped the metal." _Metal?_ What metal? "I can't feel it which means the wiring is shot." Wiring? "Hmph. Guess I'll have to replace that tonight."

I just stared at her. Metal? Wiring? Was she talking about her leg or a mechanical toy I wasn't seeing? She looked up at me and smiled slightly at my incredulous look. "My left leg isn't real Christophe. It's mechanical." Oh. Wow, was I really that slow? Still…how many people have a fake leg that shows no signs what so ever of being fake. None as far as I was aware. That explained the slight metallic tang to her scent. I had thought it was because she spent so much time working on machines. Guess that's what I get for thinking.

We were arriving at the hospital now. Once they opened the door, I got out, intending to help her down. However, she jumped down before I could. Was she just not use to being treated like a lady, or did she think I wasn't a gentleman? I considered it for a fraction of a second and came to the conclusion that she probably just wasn't use to it.

We walked into the hospital. Ms. Wheeler was behind the reception desk. "Ms. Wheeler? Could you let my father know that I'm here. I have a patient for him." I indicated Sam, standing behind me with a slight grimace on her face.

"Certainly, Christophe. What's her name?"

"Samantha Harden."

"Alright. I'll let him know. You can wait for him in room 114."

"Thank-you, Ms. Wheeler." I turned to Sam and beckoned to her. She followed me in silence.

Room 114 was on the first floor. The hospital was also the doctors office, doing regular check ups and the like. This was one of the rooms used for such purposes. There was a single chair and a single bed. I sat on the chair, hoping Sam would feel more comfortable that way.

Sam came in behind me and sat on the bed. Swinging her legs up, she waited for Silver to get off her back before she moved back to lean against the pillows. Silver crawled into her lap. She patted him and stared at the ceiling.

_Christophe?_

_Yes, Carlisle?_

_What's going on? I was told that you're here with a young lady. Samantha Harden. Isn't that…_ He stopped, not knowing how to say it.

_Yes, it is. Heh. You won't believe what happened._ He was almost to the room. Most humans became nervous if there were two vampires in the room and no other humans. Of course they wouldn't know why they were nervous. I wondered how Sam would react. Probably in some way that I couldn't imagine.

Carlisle walked in the room. The only similarity between the two of us was our pale skin. Carlisle had the usual golden brown eyes that indicated that he drank animal rather than human blood. His swept back blond hair almost looked silver under the florescent lights of the hospital.

Sam smiled. "Hello, Dr. Cullen." We both froze, startled. I mentally hit myself. _Sorry. I should have warned you. She never reacts like a normal human._

_Perfectly alright, Christophe._ He moved forward with a smile. "Hello, Ms. Harden. How are you doing today?"

I could guess that she would say something along the lines of fine and probably not mention what had actually happened at all. So I jumped in. "She nearly got blown up, then she almost got crushed. She hit the back of her head on the sidewalk and the fire from the initial blast hit her back. It hit the bottom of her left leg as well, but apparently that is mechanical." As I said it, I gave Carlisle the images from my memory. I could feel his shock though his face obviously didn't give it away. His eyebrows rose.

"Well, well. Sounds like you've had quite the afternoon. Let's take a look at your head first, shall we?" He stepped forward and she bent her head. "Tell me if it hurts." As he gently applied pressure, searching for any sign of injury, Sam closed her eyes. She never said anything, so apparently her head was undamaged. Then Carlisle found something.

"Oh. What's this?" He parted her hair, I which noted was rather thick, to get a better look at it. It was a cut, freshly scabbed over.

"Oh, I stood up too fast last night. I was working on a car. I lifted my head before I was clear of the hood. No biggy." I beginning to suspect that very little could rattle her.

"Alright. Your head appears to be fine. I'd like to take a look at your back now." Carlisle stepped back as he said this so she had room to turn over. She stiffened.

That caught my attention…not that she hadn't had already anyways. Why was Carlisle's request causing her fear?

Silver noticed the tension as well and rocked back onto his hind legs so that he could tuck his head under her chin. Carlisle jumped. Stupid me forgot to mention the intelligent badger. _Sorry._

_It's alright, Christophe. You're a little…distracted._

Silver was talking. _"You don't have to let him see your back. You can refuse. He can't force you, Sam."_ She was so tense that she was trembling. I could hear an odd sound…I think it was her teeth grinding together. I had to ask.

"Sam? Are you okay?" What kind of a question was that? Of course she wasn't okay. What else could I say though? I couldn't think of another way to encourage her to say what was wrong.

"Christophe?" If my hearing wasn't as keen as it was, I don't know if I would have heard her, she was so quiet.

"Yes Sam?" Tell me what's upsetting you, I wanted to say, beg even. I didn't like seeing her distressed.

"Will you shut the door and lock it?" What? I glanced at Carlisle, worried. I couldn't understand her request. "Please?" I hesitated, but decided that it was alright if it would help ease her distress. I shut the door and flicked the lock into place. "Thank-you Christophe." I heard her take a deep breath. I turned around. Her eyes were closed. "Silver, you need to move."

"_Are you sure you want to do this, Sam? You really don't have to." She never lets anyone see her back. Honestly, I'm surprised that she allowed the boy to remain behind her as long as she did._ He was worried about her. He wasn't thinking about why though.

"That's just it though. I _do_ have to do it…" Why did she have to? God, this driving me crazy! "It's okay Silver. Just let me hold you and I'll be fine. I promise." Silver hesitated, then climbed off her to her left. She scooted forward and braced herself to flip over.

"Sam?" Why was I so worked up over a human being distressed. I'm not exactly managing my emotions very well either because I was projecting them to Carlisle.

"Ms. Harden? Are you alright?" He was worried about both of us.

"Yes. I'm okay." Her response seemed strained. "This is just…a little…difficult…for me. Just give me a moment." She shuddered and took three deep breaths. She flipped.

We both gasped. Her back…it was…horrible. Scars _covered_ her entire back. At first all I could feel was horror. What could have caused this? Then it occurred to me. Someone must have deliberately inflicted multiple wounds. Deep wounds from the look of it.

Suddenly I was furious. I locked all my muscles to prevent myself from doing anything rash…such as killing everyone in the building. I was literally seeing red, I was so angry. I was making Carlisle anxious. I needed something to distract me. I stared at Sam. I deliberately attempted to ignore the horrible scars and focus more on just her as a person.

She was clutching Silver tightly, her face buried in his fur. She was trembling. I occurred to me that she was terrified. I looked at Silver as an idea occurred to me. He was gently nuzzling her hair in an attempt to sooth her.

_Silver?_ The badger continued to nuzzle Sam's hair, but his eyes jumped to my face.

_Yes?_

_Um…why…?_ I had no idea how to ask my question.

_She is terrified of exposing her back to others. Over the past 10 years, only her parents and I have seen it. She cares not for what people would think if they saw it. What scares her is the possibility that someone could inflict yet another painful wound._ Silver's eyes narrowed._ Feel special, boy. She would not do this for just anyone._ He then turned his full attention back to Sam.

Carlisle, assured that I was not going to bring the building down around our ears, approached Sam. He placed two fingers on the small of her back with the utmost care. She jumped violently.

Carlisle reassured her. "Ms. Harden? I'm going to put some medicine on the two small burns on your back, okay?" Burns? I hadn't seen them. I was too overcome by the scars. She nodded stiffly.

I brought Carlisle the burn ointment that he indicated before returning to my chair, where I once again locked my muscles. Carlisle slowly applied the ointment to the first burn. She slowly stopped trembling.

"Christophe? Are you still here?" It was a whispered question. She sounded nervous, scared even. It seemed so odd and didn't seem to fit correctly into her personality.

I was still angry, but I smothered it as best I could, so I could answer her. "Yes, Sam. I am still here." My voice sounded rough.

"Thank-you for staying, Christophe." Again, whispered, but…thick with relief. My anger nearly vanished under my pure and utter shock. "My pleasure." I muttered, under my breath.

Carlisle smiled at me and my discomfort. He had finished putting ointment on the first burn and moved to a start placing it on the second. He left his two fingers touching the small of her back though. Once he was finished, he removed both of his hands and backed off.

After a moment she flipped back over. She looked at Carlisle. "Thank-you, Dr. Cullen. Before you ask, neither my dad, my mom, or my step-dad did this to me." That was a thought that hadn't occurred to me. However, this assurence greatly relieved Carlisle's worries. She then looked at me. I had carefully made my face blank, showing no emotion at all. What she did next…about knocked me senseless.

Sam gave me a small, shy smile. "Thank-you again Christophe. For everything." Her voice was still very soft. I couldn't possibly act indifferent towards her after that. I felt my carefully constructed mask just melt. I couldn't help it. I smiled back at her, gently.

Silver stepped up next to her. He barked. However, to your average human, he had just said 'Thank-you.' I figured the badger was smart. Apparently I underestimated just how smart. Carlisle laughed.

"Well, Ms. Harden. You're all set and free to go. Do you have a ride home?" She shook her head. Of course she didn't. Her father was working and her car was…well.

"Well, Christophe, why don't you take her home with my car. Esme can pick me up later. Good day to you Ms. Harden." He then walked out of the room. _Relax, Christophe. I'm sure you'll be fine._

Sam got off the bed and said, "You don't have to take me if you don't want to. I can call my dad." She appeared to be stuck at her soft volume. However, her father wouldn't be able to come get her for some time. I couldn't just leave her like that.

I shook my head. "No, I'll take you home."

"Okay." She picked up Silver and then picked up the hospital gown draped over the end of the bed. "If I borrow this, so I don't get medicine all over the inside of your dad's car, can I give back tomorrow?" I blinked. I hadn't thought of that. I nodded because I was sure that they wouldn't mind.

The drive to her house was silent. I wondered what she was thinking, but I couldn't work up the nerve to ask. She got out of the car and looked at me for a moment. "Thank-you, Christophe." She whispered. She shut the car door and went into her house.

I drove home at a moderately slow pace, thinking about the day. Just as I pulled into the end of our long, twisted driveway, I picked up Rosalie. She was _livid_. I still had to explain my actions to everyone.

Shit.


	6. Visions

_**Chapter 5 - Visions**__**:**_

"I think we should stop coming back to Forks. This is the second time we have been put in this situation!" Rosalie cried.

Carlisle sighed. "Christophe, I'm sure you've gotten the story of what happened last time. It was between Edward and Bella. Sam…She causes a different situation from Bella in the fact that we have no clue what she is going to do with what she saw."

"We must take care of the situation." Jasper said matter-of-factly. I finally reacted. I snarled at Jasper.

"You will not go anywhere _near_ her." I hissed. Jaspers response was in mind only. I was on my feet so fast, the chair nearly broke when it hit the floor. Emmett grabbed me, restraining me.

"I mean it, Jasper. You will leave Sam alone. She is not going to tell anyone what she saw." I don't know how I suddenly knew this, but I was absolutely sure that it was true. Sam would not tell anyone anything. Edward picked that fact out of my head and his eyebrows rose.

Suddenly, Alice gasped. We all looked at her. After a moment she said, "Okay. So, we won't kill Sam. Obviously it would be unfair of us to deprive Bella of a sister."

That didn't make a damn bit of sense. Then the I saw what she had seen. It was a good thing Emmett had picked my chair back up because my knees gave out.

"We can't kill Sam. We would be depriving ourselves of a very good friend. Sam will a friend to all of us. She'll be closest with Bella though." Alice looked at me.

_Care to project? _I nodded slightly, still stunned, and then projected the futures Alice had seen into the minds around the table.

* The first scene was in a garage or workshop. There were tools, pieces of metal, nuts and bolts, and many other things laying around. In the center of the scene was Rosalie's M3. Rosalie herself was sitting off to one side staring intently at the person who was only half visible from under the hood. The person straightened up and turned. It was Sam. There was a piece of the car in her hand and, speaking as she did so, she started pointing to different pieces of it. When she stopped, she looked up at Rosalie and grinned. Rosalie smiled in response. *

* Next was a scene with Edward. He was playing his piano. Sam was leaning against the piano playing a guitar. They were both smiling. *

* Emmett and Jasper where in the next scene. It was a three way game of checkers. They were playing with Sam. Emmett jumped two of Sam's pieces and one of Jaspers. Jasper jumped two of Emmett's and three of Sam's. Sam stared at the board for a few moments. Suddenly her hand shot out and seized a piece. In one move she jumped half of Emmett's pieces and half of Jasper's pieces. She laughed at their stupefied expressions. They grinned. *

* Carlisle and Sam stood in the middle of a _**huge**_ library. Sam walked to a shelf and pulled off a book. Taking it to the desk in the middle of the room she pulled it open and flipped through like she was looking for something. She stopped and beckoned to Carlisle. He came to look over her shoulder at something she was pointing to on the page. She was saying something. Carlisle eyes shone. She was sharing some piece of knowledge with him that he hadn't known. Sam smiled at his thrilled expression. *

* Sam lay back calmly in a chair in the powder room upstairs as Alice used her for a Barbie doll. Alice said something. Sam opened an eye, responded, and shut the eye again. Alice laughed at whatever it was that Sam had said. Sam smiled. *

* Esme and Sam held hands as they walked into the room. It had a gorgeous medieval theme. Esme was ecstatic. Sam walked to a wall and pulled down a set of twin blades. Esme asked a question and Sam nodded. They moved into an empty room. Esme stood to the side and Sam went to the middle and unsheathed the blades. Sam proceeded to do a beautiful sword dance. When she stopped Esme applauded, thrilled with the performance. Sam bowed. *

* The final scene. Sam sitting on a cliff, watching the sun set. Bella joins her, sitting close beside her. After a few moments, Sam leans into Bella. Bella wraps an arm around Sam's waist and pulls her closer. Sam tucks her head under Bella's chin. They remain in this position. The sense of happiness, peace, and kinship radiates out from the picture. The sun sets. The scene ends. *

There are no more visions to project. I withdraw from their minds. No one knows what to say. Then Alice says, "Of course, if I had thought about it, I could have understood what was going on the first time I saw her." Alice gives me an old vision. I'm to stunned to do anything at first. Finally I focus enough to project the image.

"_Kesa_, what are you doing?" Bella demands.

"I'm wrestling. Duh. Oof!" Sam got the wind knocked out of her as the wolf landed on her chest. Sam rolled and pinned the wolf underneath her. "Haha! Stuck now, ain't cha? Ain't cha?"

"_Kesa_, we need to get ready. Stop messing with Leo and come on." When Sam showed no sign of stopping, Bella walked over and jumped on them both. Now it was a three way. The wolf squirmed his way out and watched as Sam and Bella tussled in the dirt.

Finally they rolled away from each other, laughing. Once they stopped laughing, they just lay there. The snapping of a branch caught the attention of them both. Edward and Christophe stepped out of the woods. They were both grinning.

"Hello, ladies. Would you care for an escort back to the house?" Edward said.

The two girls looked at each other and started laughing again. They stood up, clasped hands and loped across the clearing.

Bella went straight to Edward and jumped on him, kissing him enthusiastically. Sam paused for a moment, observing this. She then loped over to Christophe.

Looking up at him she smiled. "Hello." She then wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled against him. *Sigh.* "I missed you."

Wrapping his own arms around her gently, he rested his face against her hair. "And I, you."

Everyone was too stunned to say anything. Alice finally spoke. Looking at Edward she said, "You remember the day I saw this don't you? We were visiting Tanya and them in Alaska. A girl ran into the clearing we were in. A wolf was chasing after her. She stopped, spun around and caught the wolf when it lunged at her. She was laughing. Dropping the wolf she looked right at us. She had seemed surprised at first, then she smiled and waved at us. She was turning her attention back to the wolf when the vision hit me. We didn't know Bella or Christophe then. When the vision ended the wolf howled. The girl howled with him. She turned and waved at us again and the ran out of the clearing, laughing. You remember?"

After a moment Edward nodded. "I do. I remember I thought she was a ghost of some kind because I couldn't read her." Suddenly he laughed.

Alice tried something new, by rather then trying to look for my future, she looked for Sam's future. Images started flooding through her head.

* Sam was laying in a patch of sunlight, a smile on her face, her eyes closed. * She was standing on a cliff edge, the wind playing with her hair. * She was running through the woods, trees flashing past her, laughing. * Sam was standing in a defensive position in front of her friends Jessy and Mimi, a snarl on her face. * She stood in the shadows, tense, eyes scanning the area looking for threats. * She cradled a wounded fawn in her arms, crooning to it tenderly. * She stood with her naked blade crossed with the naked blade of an opponent that wasn't clear, waiting for the signal to begin the fight. *

Those were the clear images. There were many others that weren't as clear. Finally the flood stopped with a divided picture, both crystal clear. If I was capable of passing out I would have.

* Sam's broken, lifeless body was in my arms. A black, saw-like blade was rammed through her chest. Her blood flowed freely, but in the vision I completely ignored it, clutching her to my chest, sobbing her name. *

* The other vision showed Sam standing with Bella. They were watching the sunset again. There was no difference between them now though. Both had white, cold, rock hard skin. Then, for some reason, both turned around. Bella's eyes were no longer golden brown. They were the chocolate brown they had been when she was human. Sam's eyes were not red or golden brown. They were a lovely pale blue. Then, as the sun reflected off her skin, they turned a stunningly gorgeous amethyst. After a moment, both girls…smiled. *

I refused to acknowledge the vision where Sam was… No that would never happen. After a moment I managed to make my voice box work. "What…their eyes…why…their eyes aren't…" I didn't know how to phrase my question.

"I don't know why their eyes are different colors, Christophe." Alice said.

"What?" said Bella.

"What's going on?" demanded Emmett.

"What do you see, Alice?" Carlisle asked.

Alice turned to look at him. "Instead of looking for Christophe's future, I tried looking for Sam's. It was surprisingly easy. What has Christophe stupefied though is the last two that I saw." She glanced at me. _Are you willing to project?_ I shook my head vigorously. She sighed. "Either she'll be killed - Christophe won't be the one to kill her though - or she'll be one of us."

Everyone except Edward gasped. Edward added, "What I find confusing though is the fact that the second vision doesn't affect just Sam. Bella was in it as well. They both have all the physical indications of a vampire…except for their eyes."

"Their eyes?" Carlisle was curious.

"Bella's eyes are their original color. Chocolate brown. Sam's are a ghostly pale blue. In the vision they change to amethyst. I've never heard of a vampire with either of those colors for their eyes. Have you?"

"No, I have not." Carlisle shook his head.

I couldn't think of what to say. Alice came around the table and touched my arm. _It's okay, Christophe. I know you're scared. If you're not careful with her, yes you may end up killing her. Don't underestimate her though. I saw Sam at the Newton's store on Sunday._ An image of Sam lifting a box of fifty 50-lb weights quite easily on her own. Mrs. Newton fluttering around her, worrying that Sam will hurt herself. Sam laughing at her and proving she can easily handle the weight by tossing the box into the air and catching it again without so much as a twitch. _She will put up quite a fight for a human if you do something wrong. Don't even think about leaving. I will not tolerate you torturing yourself. Relax. We'll all love her, too. Even Rosalie and Jasper will love her. You know that's a miracle._

I jumped and looked at her. _Love her __**TOO**__?_

Alice rolled her eyes. _Seriously, Christophe. You're as bad as Edward. You need someone to _tell_ you when you're in love? That is sad. I mean, seriously! Think about leaving her. You see how much that hurts? That's because you love her, you dope!_

Alice was right. It hurt just to _think_ about leaving Sam. Like someone was crushing my chest. I thought about never seeing Sam again. I immediately wished I hadn't. The pain was excruciating. It felt like someone had actually ripped my dead heart out of my chest. Alice was right. I couldn't leave without torturing myself. I didn't want to turn her into a vampire though! I didn't want to steal her life, her soul! And I sure as _hell_ wanted to avoid that other deadly fate at all cost.

Suddenly Alice grinned. "Well, it's not like you can stay away from her."

I went up to my room and shut the door. Laying on my couch I thought about those two futures. How could I avoid them? I couldn't leave. Alice said I couldn't avoid her but if I _can_, I could prevent those futures from happening…right? Yes, to prevent those futures, I _would_ avoid her, no matter how much it hurt.


	7. Imprinting

_**Chapter 6 - Imprinting**__**:**_

The next day, in Biology, Sam said nothing to me. I said nothing to her. I didn't even look at her. She didn't look at me. There were no new rumors about the Cullen family. As I thought, Sam hadn't said anything about the accident to anyone. As it was, she scared everyone off the topic with one practically snarled statement. By the end of the day no one dared talk about it at all, for fear that Sam would find out and then she would come rip their head off.

It hurt though, that she didn't say anything to me. Plus, I was dying to ask her why she hadn't said anything. Then at the end of the period, just before the bell rang, something slide under my hand. Startled, I looked down. Sam was just removing her hand from the envelope addressed to me that she had slid underneath my hand. Confused, I looked at her. She wasn't looking at me. The bell rang. She was halfway to the door before I even realized that she had gotten out of her chair. She was fast for a human.

The envelope contained a letter. It said the following:

Dear Christophe,

Thank-you again for saving me. Since you're probably wondering, here is what I saw. Once I sat up, I clearly saw you standing on the other side of the parking lot with all the other students. I was watching the car come down, so I obviously don't know how you got to me so fast. I do know that no human could have reached me in time to get me out of the way though. Anyway. There is no possible way that a human could **kick** a flaming vehicle, moving at 20mph at least, cause a **massive** dent and cause it to jump back 30ft, nevermind the fact that you didn't break or burn your leg. Hehe. Relax. Breath. I'm not going to tell anyone what I saw and I don't expect you to explain it to me. I won't even try to find out what you are. If you feel like sharing I'm willing to listen. Otherwise, I'll probably never know. Please express my thanks to your father for me. Um…if you don't mind…I would appreciate it if you didn't mention my back to anyone. I understand that you will probably tell your family. Just…please don't note my scars on my medical records. Thank-you. For staying with me when it must have bothered you. For saving me from being crushed. For letting me look at your car. For…everything. XXXXOOOO

Sincerely Yours,

Samantha Harden

Did I love her? I didn't think so. I never could bring myself to throw the letter away though. I knew I was reading into it more than I should, but I couldn't help it. I told Carlisle that she said thank-you and of her request to not put any mention of her scars on her medical records. He was surprised by the request, but he agreed to remove any indication of the scars on her back from all records at the hospital.

Did I love her? I didn't think so. Not yet anyway. Everyday though, it got harder to pretend to ignore her. It hurt. I could handle the pain though. Alice's vision of Sam and Bella, as well as the vision of the hideous black blade, vanished. Her future was no longer clear, but it no longer held that horrid death either.

Did I love her? I didn't think so. Not yet… Alice's visions stayed with me though. I could see how easy it would be to love Sam. _So_ easy. The wolf in me wanted to run to and dive head long into that love, wanted to make his home there. I had him chained with my will, but every day, the chain would weaken slightly and the wolf's wanting increased and that increased his strength. I didn't blame him. I wanted the same thing.

With every day that passed, the pain increased. I could pretend to ignore her, pretend that she didn't exist, but that was all I could do. I still hung on every word she said, every breath she took.

My torment could be placed in four distinct categories.

The most hideous of my torments: Her scent. Or rather, my thirst. I had taken to the habit of just not breathing at all during Biology. There were times though that I had to breath. When the teacher called on me to answer a question. I took as small a breath as possible, but it didn't matter. Her scent hit me as hard as it had that first day. It was hard to hold to reason at those times. The monster would roar his bloodlust at the top of his lungs in my head, so close to the surface.

The most constant of my torments: Her silence. Or rather, my curiosity. _What is she thinking _now_?_ The question was always on my mind. When she tapped her long nails against her teeth. When one or both of her legs bounced. When she sat in a twisted position that no human should be able to find comfortable. When she drummed a rather random rhythm out on the table. When the usually faint circles under her eyes darkened, indicating a lack of sleep. When she did math I had never seen rather than her Biology work. When she gripped her pencil so tightly in her clenched fist that her knuckles were white. Her actions were a never ending mystery. She never acted as normal humans did.

By listening to her interact with other humans at lunch, I started to decipher some things about her. She was selfless. She put others feeling above her own. She was protective. No one ever said anything derogatory about her friends and got away with it. School bullies taught me yet more. She was _insanely_ strong for a human. Jeff Douglas couldn't take a hint. She told him several times to stop insulting her friends. He didn't, so she threw a punch. She deliberately missed him, hitting the brick wall behind him. Her fist imbedded itself in the wall. An inch from his face she hissed that it was his last warning. Stop insulting her friends or he was going to find out what pain _really_ was. She also had one _hell_ of a temper.

The most surprising and aggravating of my torments: Mick Crowley. I now understood why Edward had once wanted to cripple Mike Newton. Mick developed the same habit Mike had. He sat on her side of our table until the bell rang. I should have been grateful to the boy. I learned many things about her through their conversations. Instead of making me grateful to the brat, it ticked me off. I didn't want Mick to unlock her secrets. I wanted to do that.

It was soothing that he never noticed her revelations. He didn't notice it when she indicated subtly that she put the needs and wants of others before her own. That when she was stressed by something she appeared to withdraw into herself. That her mood swings were erratic, while still completely under control. That when she spoke of her mother it was not like a child speaking of a parent or even like a parent speaking of a child, but that she spoke like they were equals. That she spoke the same way about her father. How when she spoke of either of them, there was also a fiercely protective undertone.

By listening to her conversations with Mick, I discovered something that astounded me. Sam's own personality was at odds with itself. She was aloof from everyone and was yet highly caring. She had an excellent sense of humor and superb grasp of sarcasm, but the point of some of the most obvious jokes would completely elude her. She showed every emotion and yet revealed none of them. She didn't like to be clung to or hovered over and yet she did both in her own subtle way. She was a genius at math, yet she could not do some of the most basic problems in her head. She was the fastest, strongest human in the school, but (unlike most humans) she neither hid it nor flaunted it; it was merely a part of what she was. She attracted the attention of males with ease, yet she did not seek it; if anything she tried to repel it. It seemed that the more I learned about her, the more confusing she became. Looking at what her friends saw, they had noticed many of the same qualities, but only Mimi had come to the same conclusion I had.

The final and most painful torment: Sam's indifference. She ignored me, just as I ignored her. She never made the attempt to speak to me or use any form of communication with me after giving me that letter. For all that I knew, she didn't think of me at all.

This might have broken my will altogether. Except… sometimes, as I watched her through the minds of others, it appeared that something she said was not meant for the person she was talking to, but instead meant for me. Sometimes it appeared as though she was looking through the person she was talking to…that she was looking at me watching her through the eyes of another.

It wasn't realistic. Sam didn't know I could read minds, so how would she know to aim a specific comment at me? Even if she did know I could, how would she know who she would have to look at or speak to? How would she know who's mind I was in? It was folly to even think it. Yet…this idea soothed me somehow, kept my will from crumbling to dust.

One Wednesday in March I picked up a thought from Bella. _Maybe I'll go say hi to her after school._ It took me a second to figure out who Bella was thinking about. Once I did I looked right at her. She looked back at me and after a moment bent her head slightly in acceptance. I didn't need to tell her, verbally or mentally, what my eyes could convey easily. _**NO**_.

Before the accident had occurred, while I was…away, Bella had actually been considering approaching Sam. She wasn't sure how to do it though. Now that she knew Sam would be really close with her, she was feeling desperate to meet her. In an odd way, she missed this girl she knew nothing about. This was the sixth time in the past two weeks that I had caught her thinking about approaching Sam on her own.

Once she had dropped her eyes I went back to glaring at the wall. Today was going to be hard. Harder then yesterday, as was the norm.

Mick Crowley was going to ask Sam out on a date.

The Spring Dance was a week from Saturday and it was a girl's choice. Mick had been becoming more confident in Sam over the past month, as she appeared to prefer him over other boys in the school. He had been nearly positive that Sam would ask him to the dance. That she had not had severely shaken his confidence. Now Jessy Snow had asked him to the dance and thus put him in an uncomfortable position. He didn't want to say yes because he hoped that Sam would still ask him, but he didn't want to say no and end up missing the dance altogether. I was enjoying his discomfort way too much.

Jessy guessed why Mick was hesitating and appeared to be resigned about it. She really liked and even admired Sam, so she couldn't get mad at her for something she had no control over. She just wished that Mick would look at her the way he looked at Sam. Mimi noticed Jessy avoiding Mick and also noticed that Sam appeared worried about Jessy. She just hoped Sam wouldn't get too mad. It also crossed her mind that Mick was an absolute dope.

Worried? I couldn't see anything on Sam that indicated that she was worried about anything. Mad? Why would Sam get mad? Who would she get mad at?

Mick worked up his nerve as he walked Sam to Biology. He sat down on her side of the table, comfortable. I wondered what it would sound like if he hit the far wall with enough force to break every bone in his pathetic body.

He waited a moment before he brought it up.

"So, Jessy asked me to the Spring Dance."

Sam answered immediately. "Awesome! You'll have a great time with Jessy." It was hard not to smile as her pleased tone sunk into his mind. He had been hoping for dismay.

He floundered for a moment. He swallowed and almost chickened out. Then he rallied. "Um…I told her I had to think about it."

When Sam said nothing I started to get anxious. Mick wasn't looking at her, so I couldn't see her expression. Finally, in a tone that basically said he was a moron, "_**Why?**_" There was also the teeniest hint of relief in her voice. What the devil did _that_ mean?

Mick was embarrassed. "Well I thought that maybe…you were planning on asking me."

She didn't say anything at first. In that moment an idea occurred to me that I hadn't considered before.

Although Sam appeared to reject the advances of boys now, that didn't mean it would always be that way. More likely than not, there would come a day when Sam would say yes to someone. The image of Sam with her arms wrapped around my waist, snuggling against my chest with a contented smile on her face, rose unbidden in my mind. It set off an aching in my chest. The wolf howled and strained towards that image. I could feel the chain, my will, being stretched to the limit.

Suddenly, the image shifted. I was replaced by some random human male that I didn't know. It was an image, not real, but it seemed to me that the human male with Sam in his arms looked up at me and smirked.

The aching flared into a pain more acute than the pain of my transformation into a vampire, more fierce than the pain I had experienced as my DNA mutated to create the wolf. A human would never have survived this pain.

Pain wasn't the only thing I felt though. There was a rage so fierce it was scary. This combination of pain and rage and desire was not something I had experienced before. I had no name for it. Yet it begged to be released. Though Mick was not the smug male my imagination had created, I longed to crush him for even thinking about touching my Sam. Then, to my stunned amazement, the wolf broke lose.

He didn't try to surface. Instead, he lunged into the image where the strange man held Sam. At first I was horrified. I thought the wolf was going to kill the stranger. Instead, the wolf rammed the man, knocking him away from Sam. Then it curled around Sam, nosing her until she climbed onto its back. Then it ran out of the image, back to me and dove head long into the love I had tried so hard to avoid.

Alice was right. I _couldn't_ avoid Sam.

My mind returned to reality, where Sam was sitting next to me. She had not yet responded to Mick's unspoken question. The rage and pain still burned with fierce intensity. I was on the edge of my seat, waiting for her to respond.

After what seemed like hours (truly not even two seconds had passed) Sam spoke. In a slightly tight voice she said, "You should say yes to Jessy."

Mike finally looked up to see Sam's face. Her face was carefully blank, indifferent. "Did you ask someone else?" He glanced at me, suspicious for the first time since the week of the accident. I had betrayed my interest; my head was tilted slightly towards Sam.

His wild envy for whoever Sam preferred over him put a name to my unnamed emotion.

I was _jealous_.

The corner of Sam's mouth twitched slightly upward, creating an expression that was slightly amused, but mostly irritated. "No. I'm not going to the dance. I'm going to Seattle." Her voice suggested her amusement and hinted very faintly at her irritation. Through my jealousy I felt relief that she wouldn't be going to the dance with anyone.

"Couldn't you go some other weekend?" Mick whined.

Sam's expression shifted only the tiniest amount, but it was enough to reveal to me (but not to Mick) that she was starting to get angry. "_**No**_." Her voice was hard now. "So you shouldn't make Jessy wait. It's rude." This statement might have increased my jealousy. But I made connections now between Sam's reaction and Mimi hoping that Sam wouldn't get too mad. Sam was mad that Mick had turned Jessy down. The relief I had heard earlier was because she was glad he hadn't given Jessy an outright no.

Mick was sulking now. "Okay." He dropped his eyes and turned to slump off to his seat. I could no longer see Sam through his eyes.

I wasn't going to tolerate that.

For the first time in over a month, I turned to look at Sam. Her expression as she stared after Mick was a look of horrified disgust. She rolled her eyes and dropped her head onto the table. She stayed there until class started. Lifting her head, she turned to look at me. After a moment she smiled hesitantly.

The pain and rage lifted momentarily, the fact that she was smiling at _me_ sending my spirits soaring. The wolf howled his delight.

I heard Mr. Jones say the number of our table. I picked the answer to the question I hadn't heard out of his head. Unwillingly I turned my head to look at him. I sucked in a quick breath.

My throat burned. The monster made himself know for the first time all day. To my surprise, instead of agreeing with the monster, the wolf turned and snarled at him. In my mind, Wolf doubled in size. The monster backed down so fast it was almost comical. Returning to reality, I answered the question.

"The Krebs Cycle." For a second I was confused. I thought I had heard more than my own voice.

Mr. Jones jumped. "In unison now." He said. From his head I found that Sam had also turned to look at him. I had heard more than my own voice. I had heard Sam's as well. We had answered the question at the same time, in unison.

Sam and I…in unison. The idea appealed to me much more than it should.

My throat was still in flames though. Wolf snarled at the monster again as it tried to creep forward. No. Nononono. I couldn't. I can't get anywhere near Sam. I would kill her! I couldn't do this! Suddenly, I remembered what Alice had said.

"Either she'll be killed - Christophe won't be the one to kill her though - or she'll be one of us."

_It's okay, Christophe. I know you're scared. If you're not careful with her, yes you may end up killing her. Don't underestimate her though. … She will put up quiet the fight for a human if you do something wrong._

_I_ wouldn't be the one to kill her. It was that hideous black blade that would kill her…possibly. Alice was right. If I wasn't careful I might kill her myself. Looking at Wolf though, I had the feeling that he wouldn't let me do anything that could hurt Sam without putting up one hell of a fight. If I was on my guard, I could be near her. If I was careful I bet I could even avoid turning her into a vampire. As if I had asked him a question, Wolf nodded his great head. He would help me.

I was thrilled with this discovery. I didn't think that I was ready to actually approach her though. I decided that I could at least look at her. She stared down at her book. She didn't look at me for the rest of the period, but she kept shifting her seat, like she was nervous.

The bell rang. Sam raced out the door. It wasn't unusual, she did it every day. She didn't move at a faster pace then normal. Before I even really thought about what I was doing though, I was out the door. I saw her walking at her usual fast pace towards the gym.

"Sam." I called her name and moved to catch up to her before I considered the consequences. She jumped slightly and glanced up when I reached her side.

"Yes, Christophe?" Her voice was calm.

Now that I had her attention, I didn't know what to say. I considered my actions towards her over the past 6 weeks. I decided that I would still be cautious around her and I would apologize for my rude behavior. "I…I'm sorry I'm being rude. This is better though, really."

She looked up at me. In the reflection of her eyes I saw that mine were black. I hadn't been hunting for two weeks. Bad day to lose my willpower. Her response to my apology startled and confused me.

"If you believe that us not associating is better for you, then I will not argue with you." Better for _ME_? Where the devil had she come up with that idea? "I do hope you will not reject my gift because of it, but if you do that is your choice." Huh? Gift? What gift? "Now, if you will excuse me, I must get to my gym class."

She walked into the locker room I hadn't realized we had reached. It was the girls locker room (obviously), so I couldn't follow her and demand to know what she had meant by her statement. Both of them. Either of them. Neither one made any sense to me. I spent my entire French class trying to decipher her confusing words.

Jasper had French with me and I was aware of the fact he noticed that my usually sour mood had shifted to one of confusion and, much more strong and potent, happiness.

Happy? I guess, that despite her odd lines and my own internal turmoil over the situation, I was happy. We walked to the car and his internal exclamation of surprise echoed by my five other siblings, broke through my reverie. I looked up.

My jaw dropped. Next to Emmett's Jeep and Rosalie's M3 were two other cars. They both had bows attached to their grills and tags stuck under the windshield wipers. A shiny silver Volvo carried a tag that read "Edward Cullen and Isabella Swan" and a glistening gold Porsche Carrea held a tag that said "Christophe Swan". Where had they come from?

The familiar, thunderous roar of a truck engine caught my attention. I looked up. My siblings did as well. Sam was looking at us from inside her truck. Seeing us look up, she grinned broadly.

"I hope you won't reject my gift because of it…"

"Why? Did I use too many odd terms? Well, roughly translated, I'm fixing your Volvo and building you a new Porsche Carrea for free."

The cars. Sam had fixed and rebuilt the cars. That was the gift. She had fixed a car and built one from scratch in 6 weeks. _Good. God._

Edward picked this fact out of my head. Sam started laughing. She hit the gas and her truck roared out of the parking lot.

Rosalie and Emmet got into Rosalie's M3, while Jasper and Alice got into the jeep. After a moment, Edward and Bella got into their Volvo. They all drove away.

Finally I got into the new Porsche Carrea. Inside, I tuned out the rest of the world, wanting to be alone. The exterior paint job was gold. The interior was black. The seats were leather, the steering wheel was suede. The windows were all black-tinted and one-way. You could see out of the car, but you could not see in. There was a Sirius XM Radio. My favorite thing though, had to be the design on the center of the steering wheel.

Two animals reared on their hind legs, their forepaws pressed against each other, their noses touching. The animals were both white with blood red stripes. The animal on the right was a cat, a tiger to be specific. At first I thought that both animals were cats. Then I noticed that the animal on the left looked too different to be a cat. Looking at it closer, my breath started coming faster as I realized what it was.

The animal on the left was Wolf. His sapphire eyes were focused lovingly on the amethyst eyes of the cat, that were focused just as lovingly on his.

How? Did Sam know that I was a shape shifter? No, there was no way she could know that. But then…was it just a coincidence that the animal on the steering wheel looked _exactly_ like Wolf? And what about the cat? Why was it that the longer I stared at the cat the more it reminded me of Sam? Sam's eyes were blue. It didn't make any sense.

I realized that there was something written underneath the animals. Ti desined Ki'chara. What? What does that mean? What language is this? I've never seen it before.

I don't know how long I sat there, staring at the beautifully worked design. Eventually, I started the car. The engine hardly made a sound. I drove home in silence.

They were all waiting, wanting to see my new car, having already looked at what she had done with Edwards. I got out of the car and Rosalie was already beside me.

"Can I look under the hood? The engine sounded different. Not bad, just different and I want to see how she built it."

I shrugged. "Sure, just don't take anything apart."

She flashed me a smile. "No problem."

While Rosalie inspected under the hood, Emmett, Jasper, and Edward came to look at the inside.

"Whoa! Rosalie, have you seen this part yet? It's insane in here. In a good way." Emmett was dazzled over the interior design. Edward looked at me.

"So…what did you do to get a car this classy?" He was messing with me, but the truth was that I had no idea what I had done to supposedly deserve this work of art.

"Christophe?" I looked at Jasper, who was sitting in the drivers seat. "What is this?"

His question attracted the attention of the others. Emmett whistled. "Wow, Chris, that howler looks just like you. That's kind of freaky. And what's with the cat?"

Edward frowned. "What language is that?" he asked, pointing to the phrase etched under the design.

"I don't know what language it is. I don't know what it says. The wolf does look like Wolf, but I'm positive that Sam has no way of knowing that I'm a shifter. There for…it has to be a coincidence."

Rosalie came to examine the inside of the car, now that she was finished looking under the hood. While she was looking, the other three exited the vehicle.

"Nice car. I have to admit, I am jealous." Jasper said.

"I am too. Still, you must tell her that Bella and I say thank you. The Volvo is as good as new." Edward told me.

"I'm sure she'll be pleased to hear that you like it." I responded.

"Hmph. I bet you blew up the car yourself. Just so she'd make you a new one." Emmett joked.

"Emmett! That was rude!" Esme cried. I, on the other hand, had a faster method to point out his error. I'm usually very calm. Neither Edward or Jasper, let alone Emmett, were ready for my violent reaction.

Emmett was standing behind me. I spun around and hammered him in the stomach. He doubled over in surprise. I pulled back and plowed my fist into the side of his jaw. If I had hit a human with that amount of force, their jaw would have shattered beyond repair. Emmett was laid out flat on the ground. He rubbed his jaw staring at me, shocked that I had hit him. I was never bothered by his stupid jokes.

"That wasn't funny Emmett." I hissed. "She could have _died._ I strongly suggest that you _think_ before you make that kind of joke again." As fast as my anger came, it left again. I sighed and rubbed my face. "I'm sorry, Emmett. I overreacted. I…I don't know what set me off. Can you forgive me?" I felt like an idiot. I knew Emmett was joking, he almost always made a stupid joke. I had no reason to hit him and I did it anyways. Moron.

Emmett started laughing. "Why are you apologizing, bro? You didn't do anything wrong. You were right, I shouldn't have said that. Considering what Alice said, I did deserve that." He stood up and threw an arm around my shoulders. "So, no worries man. It's all cool. That doesn't make me any less jealous, mind you. I still might try to swipe that car."

I raised an eyebrow. "Go right ahead and try Emmett. I guarantee that you'll lose an arm at least, but you can go right ahead and try if you'd like." Emmett laughed.

The others weren't scheduled to go hunting until tomorrow night. I couldn't afford to wait that long. I let Bella know that I was hunting so she wouldn't worry. On the other side of the gorge, I sifted and began hunting.

I took out a small herd of deer and bull moose. I felt water logged, really. Why wasn't that enough? Why was her scent so much more potent than anything else?

I had hunted for the next day, but I still had at least six hours before the sun rose. I wanted to see her now. A shiver ran down my spine as I realized that I was going to go find her.

I argued with myself as I raced back to Forks. My cautious side lost as I came to a stop at the edge of the woods surrounding her house. Her home was not visible from the road.

I thought about how to get in. The doors would most likely be locked. That wasn't actually a problem, but I didn't want to leave a broken door as evidence. I edged around to the back of the house.

A huge tree stood next to the back of the house. To my surprise, one of the windows on the upper floor stood open. Lucky day I guess.

I scaled the tree with ease and was about to slip through the window when a scent made me freeze. I looked through the open window.

It was her room. She lay directly beneath the window, in patch of moonlight. Her red hair blazed against the black of her pillow. Her skin appeared to be pure white in the moonlight. As I stared, she moved, curling around something. A marten. A marten lay curled up against her chest.

The branch I sat on creaked slightly, protesting my weight. I was disgusted, suddenly. Not by her, but by myself. What was I doing? I was no better than some sick peeping tom. Actually, I was worse. I looked at her one last time, preparing to climb back down the tree. Suddenly, she giggled.

"You're silly, Daddy." she said as she stretched out one leg. My eyes about fell out of my head.

Sam talked in her sleep.

My curiosity overrode my repulsion. I stepped silently onto the window sill, then jumped silently over her bed, to touch down on the floor. I sat in the armchair that was in the corner of her room, next to her bookcase.

She didn't say anything else. Perhaps her dream was done. She was so beautiful. I can't grasp how I missed it before. Even remembering her face in the minds of the humans that first day, it seemed so obvious now. How could I bear it if I hurt this beautiful creature? Simple. I couldn't.

Suddenly, two yellow eyes were staring at me. I froze. SH-I-T. I hadn't noticed that Silver had been asleep against her legs. Now he was awake…and he was staring straight at me.

_Christophe._

_Y-yes?_

…_Do I want to know why you're here?_

_I…I don't really have a reason. I just wanted to see her._

He blinked. Once, twice, three times. _Get in the closet._

_Uh…what?_

_Now!_

I jumped out of the chair and shot straight into the closet. Just as I got the door back in its original position, I heard her.

"YEOUCH!" I heard the bed protest as she sprang upright. "If you're gonna sleep there, watch where you stick your claws. I did not appreciate getting stabbed in the chest." The marten must have woken her up.

I heard Silver snort softly. He was at the edge of the bed now staring at the closet. He was deliberating whether or not to turn me in. "What is it, Silver?"

_No. No, I won't turn him in. If he was going to hurt her, on purpose anyway, he would have done it already._ He turned away from the edge of the bed and lumbered back towards his sleeping spot in the crook of her leg. _"It's nothing worth worrying about. One of the local vampires." She'll assume bat, because she's not awake enough to think other wise._ He was right. He curled up and put his nose in his fur to keep it warm.

"Oh, a vampire? Bat? He must have bumped into something and gotten confused or lost. I'll take him home after school tomorrow." She paused for a moment, then said, "My dream was different tonight."

Silver's head came up immediately. _"How so?"_

"The place changed. Instead of the school going towards the gym, it was in the woods, going towards my dryad tree." What's a dryad tree? "He still came up behind me and said my name, but…" she trailed off focused on something that wasn't there.

"_But…"_

"…but before he said my name he…" she trailed off again. Who was she talking about?

"_He what? What did he do?"_ She was making Silver nervous.

"He touched me. Placed his hand on the base of my neck."

Silver lifted his foot and placed it on her leg. _"Are you okay?"_

"Yes, I'm fine. It didn't scare me, Silver. I was totally calm, I felt totally safe." The amazement was clear in her voice.

Silver studied her. _"You're sure?"_

She focused on Silver and smiled. "Yes Silver, I'm fine. Go to sleep now. Goodnight." She laid down.

Silver did as well. _Hmph. That boy better realize just how lucky he is. If anyone else had done that, whether she was awake or asleep, she would have ripped their bleedin' arm off. Hmph. Sleep well, little one._

I slipped back out to my seat in the chair. As I sat down I heard something. "Christophe…" Sam. Was she awake? Had she caught me? No, she was asleep. Then, why…? "Wait. No. Christophe, don't…don't go. Stay…please…please stay…"

I felt like I had just been hit by an eighteen wheeler. She was dreaming…about me. And she wanted me to stay.

The emotion that swamped me was like nothing I had ever experienced. For several long moments I was simply overwhelmed by it. When I regained the ability to think coherently, I was not the same person.

Vampires are like stone. Both physically and mentally. It is very rare for a vampire to change in anyway after being bitten. When a change does come, it is permanent and irreversible.

However, werewolves were much more flexible. The only thing of theirs that was irreversible was imprinting. When the werewolf found the one person destined for him, all his connections to the material world where severed and a new tie was formed. The only thing holding the werewolf to this world was a single tie stronger than the combined strength of a werewolf and vampire to a single person.

Edward and Jacob Black had described these things to me. I had just experienced both. Not only had I actually experienced a change in my personality that would never disappear, I had just imprinted on this completely baffling, silent minded human. Jacob had described it as instantaneous. Maybe I was delayed because I was also a vamp.

I couldn't leave her, so…maybe…I could…make myself…safe…for her? I hadn't taken a breath since I had entered her room. I now inhaled deeply thorough my mouth. My head spun. I gripped my knee tightly as I fought the spinning. If I wanted to be near her, I would have to get used to the burn caused by her intoxicating scent. As I got the spinning under control, I took another breath. By breathing normally I was starting to get used to the pain.

For the rest of the night I watched her, just plotting ways to deter my rivals for her attention…and just breathing.


End file.
